Forget-Me-Not
by KeyOfKresnik
Summary: "Although I am not longer, there's one last thing I can do. I only temporarily erased your memories. Now, Koko... remember."
1. Remembering

There was a short amount of time when Koko actually didn't remember anything. That day she had woken up in the hospital, greeted by Sherry, and given a false story that she had been in a coma for months. For that day, she believed Sherry. For that day, she was glad that she was alive.

For that day.

When she had slept that night, with a smile hinting at her lips, a voice called out to her in the depths of her sleep.

"Although I am no longer, there's one last thing I can do. Huhu…"

She didn't quite awaken then, although she was startled by the zeal in the voice, the liveliness, as if it were real. But the moment she heard that raspy voice, an odd sense of familiarity filled her bones. _Where had she heard that voice?_

"I only temporarily erased your memories. Now, Koko… remember." That was all the voice had to say before she did remember.

Koko remembered destroying the town. She remembered watching it all burn with a sick grin on her face, laughing as she told Sherry what she had done.

Koko remembered hurting Sherry. She remembered hurting her dearest with no remorse, laughing as she sent Sherry to what she thought would be her death.

Koko remembered Zofis.

She remembered everything he said to her, everything to turn her heart into a cold stone. His need for destruction and power. How dependent she had become on him.

Everything. Everything came flooding back to her as if it had never left. She clearly knew how she had ended up in the hospital now. Koko was awake by now. She tossed, turned, rolled, tried desperately to sleep everything away, but nothing disappeared. She couldn't sleep now.

The woman feared she would never sleep again.

Koko did end up attending the University, but it couldn't have been any harder. Each day, a new memory had to remind her of what she had done, whether it be enslaving innocent people, hurting Sherry, or burning books. And each of those memories pinned guilt on her shoulders.

It got worse whenever she'd see Sherry.

"Koko!"

Sherry's voice pulled Koko's head from the clouds. She turned to the approaching limo, watching with a smile as Sherry stepped out of it. The blonde woman always looked gorgeous in her dresses, no matter what length, style, or color.

"Sherry!" Koko called, and the two greeted with a hug, then facing each other with bright smiles lighting up their faces. Sure, times like this, when she could focus on what was happening in the present, Koko was able to forget about the past for a little bit. But whenever she'd find her quiet gaze lingering on Sherry, all she could see were the wounds she had inflicted on her.

"Oh! Here, I'll take this," Sherry tugged Koko's bookbag from her arm, reaching back into the limo to set it on the floor. Koko had followed suit, entering the limo before Sherry and making herself comfortable.

It was nice to forget about the past.

Especially nice to spend the present with Sherry, talking, laughing, enjoying life because they were the only ones who mattered to each other. The brisk fall day was refreshing. The harsh rays of summer weren't crashing on their skin, neither was the chilling winter winds. The women had ventured in and out of some shops, Sherry buying a blouse for Koko despite the woman's insistence otherwise, and finally bought themselves treats from an ice cream parlor. They decided to rest for a while, to watch the leaves fall.

"Man, you make everything better, Sherry." Afraid that the silence would cause her mind to wander, Koko spoke the first thing on her mind. Which didn't quite help the silence. It only caused the two women to sit in silence with their cheeks flushed.

It was much better to see Sherry's face lively. Koko remembered that she was always pale with either fear or rage whenever they had fought. Either that, or her cheeks were scraped and battered. She wanted to keep Sherry's cheeks that bright color.

"-Koko!" Said woman's voice brought Koko back to her senses, listening to Sherry's following laugh.

"It's melting!" Of course, Sherry was right, the ice cream had begun to trail to her hand, already making her fingers sticky.

"Hwuh!?" Koko tried to fix her cone with her tongue, which only tilted the remaining ice cream right into her mouth. The woman tried to express her oncoming brain freeze with her mouthful of ice cream, but it only came out as a muffled groan. Sherry tried to stifle her giggles as she watched her friend hold her head.

"My head…" Koko finally managed, the last of the ice cream down her throat.

"Don't you have to be a little bit more on your toes if you want to scope out stories?" Once the headache seemed to have faded, Sherry spoke with the tilt of her head. Koko looked up at her, proceeding to sit up straight. Immediately, her mind wanted to say _as if I could,_ but she shook it off.

"I still have to work on that, but I should get it down!" With a grin, she assured Sherry that she was set on making it better. Sherry smiled in response.

After they finished their treats, the two went on a short stroll, knowing they would soon have to separate. Before they returned to the plaza, where the limo was waiting, Koko noticed her friend's gaze become rather solemn, averted off to the side.

"Something wrong, Sherry?" The other woman turned to her, trying to normalize her features, but she still looked saddened.

"I'm just…" Sherry hesitated a small bit, her azure eyes heading to the ground and then back up. "Thinking about the friend I lost while you were…"

Koko knew Sherry was talking about Brago. Brago was Sherry's mamodo, just like Zofis was to Koko, but their relationship was much different. She had to pretend that Sherry was talking about someone else in her coverup story, a friend she made at the same hospital Koko stayed who had ended up dying. The woman drew her arm around her friend's shoulders, taking it all in before speaking softly,

"I know it's… tough to think about, but hey, I bet they want you to live just as much as I do! And I bet they're watching you right now, cheering you on in everything you do." Koko had seen enough of Brago to know that he likely wouldn't _cheer_ Sherry on, but instead push her himself.

"...Yeah, I bet they are. Thank you…" The blonde smiled slightly, taking in Koko's words, and the brunette offered a smile in response. They walked together to the limo, bidding each other a soft goodbye.

Koko watched the limo leave, waving to Sherry one last time before it turned a corner. Thinking of Brago soon brought the woman's thoughts to Zofis.

Just hearing his name made her heart pound with fear.

Even if he was dead, she felt like he still remained within her. Perhaps Sherry felt the same with Brago.

She remembered Zofis's hands. Those pale hands, one under her chin, other under her eye, to stop the tears.

" _Now now, dear Koko, don't let out this anger by crying."_ He had crooned, seeping himself into her brain without her knowing.

" _There's so much you can destroy. Because that's what you want to do."_ He knew that her mind and heart was his now. Zofis filled her heart with bad memories, even false memories, just to make access to her mind even easier.

Koko rubbed at her chin and then her eye, trying to erase the feeling of his hands ever being there. She hated Zofis. Hated what he did to her, what he made her think. Hated all the things he made her say to Sherry that she couldn't take back.

She hated that, in those months, she relied on him because he was the only one she had. He was _good_ to her back then. And it made her sick.

Koko didn't get any sleep that night. She was disgusted with herself, disgusted enough that she wasn't deserving of sleep. Zofis had made her do so many things, commit so many crimes and hurt so many people. She remembered watching fear in people's eyes. Helpless beings who she hurt just because she could. It was unbearable.

The next day was foggy.

Koko could feel that darkness that Zofis planted in her heart. It was as if on this particular day he had planted it around the whole world as well. During her break, Koko found herself leaving the university. The melancholy grey clouds seemed as dull as her mind.

Anything she saw had begun to remind her of the past months.

She couldn't get anything out of her head. _Koko was a killer._ A heartless killer. Zofis's words returned to her.

" _See what you can do when you open your heart to your free will?"_

All of that was her free will. Koko didn't try to fight that thought. He was right. Zofis made her do those things, but it was her free will. It had begun to rain, but her spinning head hardly noticed. It was much more focused on other things.

The darkness he planted in her heart did not stay in her heart. Now it spread to her entire body, weighing her feet to the ground like cinderblocks. It made her hands feel slick, slick with the blood she had spilled. It made her numb to the current state she was in. She couldn't feel the rain, or her tears, for that matter. All she felt was that despair that she knew she was going to fall into all along.

Zofis had lovingly placed this pit of despair at her feet, knowing she'd jump right in when the time was right. When everything finally hit her.

Just thinking about him, Koko heard his laugh. That childish cackle that she had grown used to. Of course that stayed in her mind. Everything stayed. Just like Zofis wanted it.

Thinking about him more, Koko could _feel_ him. His slender arms reaching out towards her. He was going to push her.

Zofis was right there.

He was right behind her.

Right there.


	2. Relapse

"Koko!"

That was not Zofis's voice. It was Sherry's.

That was not Zofis's arms wrapping around her, it was Sherry's. Koko felt herself being pulled from the railing of the bridge, watching the raging water below her fall away from her view. She felt herself being sat down, Sherry soon coming into her view as well.

"Look at me, Koko! What happened?" Sherry's azure eyes narrowed in on her, trying to catch her gaze.

There was no way Koko could hide it anymore. She didn't want to hurt Sherry, but she couldn't keep it inside. _Zofis planned this too, didn't he?_

"Sherry…" She could only manage a breathless whisper, which only made her friend more concerned.

"Was it someone at the university? Is someone making you feel this bad?"

"Sherry…!" Koko tried again, shaking her head, trying to force the words from her mouth.

"You're shaking-! You're freezing, Koko! Here, let me-"

"Zofis lied, Sherry!"

That was enough words. Enough words to stop Sherry in her tracks immediately. Koko could only watch Sherry's expression grow completely helpless.

"No…" She first stumbled out, but realized there wasn't any way that Koko could be lying. The truth was out to both of them, and they had to face it.

"I remember… I remember everything…" Koko faced it long ago, knew that it was the truth and all the destruction was her fault.

"That bastard…" Tears began to form at Sherry's eyes. She couldn't help it; she wanted to save Koko for so many months and now that security was taken away from her.

"That damn bastard!"

Sherry damned Zofis to the depths of whatever Hell mamodos could go to. _He lied to her._ He had done enough by manipulating and controlling Koko's mind, but _this?_ He had taken it too far. Because what he explained was exactly what happened. Koko couldn't take it. The guilt was too much for her, the words he used on her were too smart, it destroyed her.

If Sherry were a minute later, Koko would've been dead.

At that realization, Sherry reached out and drew her friend to her, embracing her as tightly as she could. She didn't care about the rain, nor the tears running down her face.

She cared about Koko.

They shared a hefty silence, finally lifting each other into Sherry's limo. It was silently decided that Koko was not spending her night alone. The women shivered in each other's arms, but Sherry knew that it was much _much_ better than cradling a pale, lifeless Koko. After they arrived at Sherry's mansion, they were dried and given a change of clothes, finally then given time just for the two of them in the tea room. Koko watched the steam from her cup rise into the air before letting herself speak.

"It's okay if you… y'know, if you hate me for everything." Her gaze was brooding downwards, but she could see Sherry shake her head.

"It wasn't you, Koko, and I knew that the whole time. It was Zofis. It's him who I hate." She assured her friend quickly, trying to earn the brunette's gaze. Koko thought about it. Sure, it wasn't _her,_ but there were much worse things she did than become evil.

She trusted Zofis. Zofis trusted her. They were both dependent on each other. But it wasn't just that. The worst part was the affection. Zofis's sweet, honeyed words and Koko's high, giggly words mingling together, just like that dying trust they put in each other. She remembered their contact, remembered every single place Zofis's hands had landed.

It was disgusting that she had such a bond with such a vile, sickening mamodo.

"Koko, you've been so strong. From now on," Sherry's voice was a heartfelt chime as her hands reached out to envelop her friend's. "We're going to be strong together, okay?"

Koko dreamt about Zofis. That wasn't too uncommon; the mamodo had left such an impact on her mind that he haunted her no matter the conscious state. He was crying. She didn't dare speak, only watched as his shoulders trembled and listened to the brief cries that fell from his lips.

"You…" Zofis began to utter out some words.

"You don't feel the same way about me anymore!" Those words of which were followed by a longer, louder sob. Koko wanted to talk then, remind him that the Koko he bonded with wasn't the real her, but the mamodo returned.

"It's Sherry you care about now… only Sherry!"

The woman's body moved towards Zofis, soon standing right behind his sitting figure. The mamodo let out a few sniffs, only to gasp when he felt feminine arms wrap around his shoulders. Koko wanted to strangle him. She wanted to remind him just what he did.

But she didn't.

Instead, her body ended up nestling her head onto his shoulder, relaxing onto him and speaking softly,

"Shh, shh, it's alright. Don't worry about a thing." She felt Zofis's body relax onto her as well.

"Because I…"

Sherry awoke to Koko's arms wrapped around her midriff and her head nestled into her shoulder. It surprised her. They had many sleepovers in their times as friends, but never had either of them been so close like this. The blonde bit her cheek to save herself from smiling. It was… cute.

If things were to stay like this, this bliss between the two of them, Sherry believed that Koko really would find her will to live.

"Do you ever dream about Brago?"

It had been almost a week since Sherry helped Koko off the bridge. Even after a couple days passed and Koko was able to convince Sherry she could go back to the university, they spent more time together than ever. Whether it be simply reading together in silence, taking strolls, or other activities, they were together much more often. Which definitely gave Koko better breathing room to think about the present instead of the past.

The sky wasn't miserable, but a little dark, sunlight occasionally trying to peek through the clouds. Autumn was always a varied season. On this certain day, the two women sat together in a homely cafe. With the both of them aware of Koko's memories, there were much more conversations to be had. Sherry took a moment before answering.

"More dreams than I'd like to admit… I'm assuming you dream about Zofis too." Koko nodded in response. She almost spoke again, if it weren't for Sherry,

"Do your dreams about him feel more real than usual dreams?" Sherry had beaten her to the same question, which was only proof that they felt the same way regarding that question as well. Koko nodded again.

"Yeah, but it sucks, because I can think on my own, but my body and voice ups and does things that I don't wanna do." That got Sherry's attention.

"Really? I always have nice conversations with Brago. It's almost like I'm lucid dreaming when I talk to him." She didn't really have to say that. Sherry _knew_ the cause of Koko's inability to move, it was without a doubt Zofis's abilities. It clearly worked differently in a dreamspace, as he had control over the body instead of the mind, but it was still his doing.

Koko thought otherwise. Zofis had no more control over her. He was done for. But one thing wasn't done- the personality Koko created while under his control. That personality remained somewhere within her.

She thought herself to be lucky that that personality only returned to the surface in her dreams.

But she didn't say that. Koko didn't say anything. That possibility that the heartless, cruel, sadistic Koko still remained would be too much for Sherry to handle. She couldn't put more on her friend's shoulders than what was already there, it would be unforgivable!

But, Koko thought, there were definitely things she had done that were much worse.

Time passed. Koko began to think about the past less. She began to think less about hurting Sherry, more about becoming closer to Sherry than ever before. Began to think less about the crimes she committed, and more about the crimes she could prevent by informing others through journalism. Began to think less of what Zofis told her, and more of how much better of a person she was with Zofis gone.

However, the part of Koko that thought that this happiness couldn't last forever was right.

Whenever she dreamt of Zofis, it was dark. Pitch black almost, minus his waxen skin and pallid clothing. This time, it was quite the opposite. Zofis awaited her in a colorful, bright field that grew a plethora of small, blue flowers. The mamodo himself was holding some of the flowers, gazing at them with a dazed smile. The smile had brightened when he noticed Koko. Although, any smile from Zofis was menacing even if he tried to be genuine. The woman's body wouldn't cringe.

"Koko~!" He purred, tilting his head. She began to move towards him as he patted the ground next to him.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Zofis held up the tangled blue flowers in his hands as he spoke.

"Beautiful, just beautiful!" It was beautiful indeed, but Koko hated to hear the _edge_ in her voice when she spoke. Her starry gaze ended up at her own hand, inspecting closely the small blue flower that landed on it. The moment she had done that, however, she could _feel_ Zofis staring at her. The atmosphere went cold quick.

" _You've forgotten about me."_ The mamodo's voice was dark, but no shiver went down the woman's spine. Koko tried to scream it. She tried to tell him that yes, she had forgotten about him, because she had Sherry and she was happy with her best friend.

"Huh? How could I forget about you?" Was what came out instead. She locked eyes with Zofis, while the "real" Koko felt like she was going to be sick at the intensity of his gaze.

"You only think about _Sherry, Sherry, Sherry_ now." She frowned at his words, shaking her head quickly.

"Zofis, you know I _hate_ her! Using her privilege to get herself whatever she wants… pah! She still does it too!" With a swift motion, the woman crushed the flower in her hand. The mamodo next to her let out a soft chuckle, the same childish snicker as always.

"It's always so much better when you speak your mind."

"Huh?" She didn't know what he meant. It wasn't Koko speaking, it was her fiendish self. She wasn't speaking her mind at all. Zofis got up from his sitting position, placing his hands behind his back.

"I know you want to be nice, and call Sherry your best friend, but your free will makes me so much happier!" He was levitating in front of Koko now, lips curled up in a smile. The mamodo reached out on top of her head and dropped a crown of the blue flowers on it. His hands lingered on her hair as he spoke,

"Koko… don't forget about me. Don't forget about all the things we did together."

She didn't.

Koko tried to think about Sherry instead of dwelling on that past, but Sherry was a part of her past. It was Sherry who she tried to kill. Sherry whom she spoke about despising. Sherry's heart that she broke.

She tried to focus on her studies then. Her dark eyes stared at the books, but her mind didn't register anything new. It could only register what already existed.

"No more…" The woman whispered to herself, hands on her hair. They began to grab firmly onto the strands as she cowered over her desk.

"No more! I can't- no more!" Koko began to panic. Her fingernails dug into her scalp as if they had the power to crush into her skull and kill her. Her breathing went haywire, and any breathing she did seemed to suffocate her more. She didn't need to feel the tears forming in her eyes. Everything was going through her brain at once.

Enslaving innocent people. Hurting innocent people. Hurting Sherry. Verbally abusing Sherry. None of it would leave her head, no matter how much she tried to think about how much better she had become. The woman stood up, despite the pounding in her ears, and proceeded to stumble backwards into the nearest wall.

 _She could feel Zofis again._

He was everywhere, his aura flooded the room and her mind. Koko knew she had to leave. Where she went didn't matter, how far she went didn't matter, she knew she had to leave her dorm. The woman stumbled out into fresh air, unable to see the strange looks she earned from lingering students.

 _She could still feel Zofis._

No matter where she went, his voice broke through. No matter how far she walked, his words echoed in her ears. The words she was able to hear when he was defeated by Brago.

" _Koko will never find happiness."_

" _She'll receive so much pain when she remembers this that she'll want to die."  
_ " _She'll suffer with these sins for the rest of her life."_

" _She'll hate the idea of living."_

Koko was thankful that the car slammed into her body at that moment.

She knew she wouldn't be able to handle it if she heard Zofis any more.


	3. Relief

When Sherry got word that Koko had been hospitalized from a car accident, she feared the worst. She feared hesitant looks from nurses and pitiful looks from doctors as they unleashed the horrible news on her. It seemed that luck was on her side.

"It appears to be that the car didn't hit her head on, nor was the car going a critically high speed," A doctor explained while they walked down the hall. That relieved Sherry, but her palms were still slick with nervousness and dread. There had to be a reason why Koko was struck by that car, and the woman knew well that it didn't have to do with a present issue. She cursed herself for not seeing that her dearest's happiness wouldn't last forever.

Sherry hesitated at the door. If she couldn't pull Koko from the dark tunnel she was in, she'll be trapped in a loop of trying to take her own life until it worked. Which Sherry _couldn't_ allow. She couldn't allow Zofis to take Koko from her, couldn't let him lead her to her own death. And she'd do anything in her power in order to do that. After all, it's only natural to give everything in order to save the person you love.

When Sherry met eyes with Koko, she wasn't surprised that it didn't last long. The brunette quickly turned aside, clutching her hands to her chest. The blonde woman closed the door behind her and approached the other.

"It's okay…" That was all Sherry could offer. It hurt her to even see the agony on Koko's features.

"How?" Koko breathed out, her voice barely heard. Her eyes began to scrunch as tears formed.

"How can you… still be here when I- when I-" The brunette's voice was cut off by her own sob. Sherry knew that Koko was going to ask that question. And she knew her own answer just as well. The blonde reached out and tenderly grasped one of Koko's hands with her own, and with a genuine smile, answered.

"Because I love you… and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Koko didn't move for a moment. Sherry could barely see her chest rise, but saw her eyes widen ever slowly.

Koko remembered Zofis's words once again.

" _It's Sherry you care about now...only Sherry!"_

" _You only think about Sherry, Sherry, Sherry now."_

Once again, he was right. Sherry meant everything to Koko; they both owed each other their lives, but the brunette thought that her friend simply being alive was enough. No, friend didn't cut it. Sherry was much more than a friend, she had been for a while. Ever since she had been rescued from Zofis's grasp, she saw Sherry in a different light. The way Koko felt when she was around Sherry, the way the blonde was able to erase all the bad things, even if it was just for the time they were together… she understood now. The woman slowly turned to the blonde, her lips quivering just slightly before she breathed out,

"I love you…" Then Koko smiled, despite the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She grinned only a grin that Sherry would see.

"I love you too, Sherry!"


	4. Relief Again

On the night of her and Sherry's wedding, Koko dreamt of Zofis. She could tell he was lurking somewhere in the library, even if it was a strange place for him to be.

"Looks like now that you and Sherry exchanged vows, your minds are more connected than ever." That certainly didn't sound like Zofis's voice, but rather…

"Brago!?" Koko was able to locate the mamodo, but his dark gaze was lingering rather intensely down an aisle of books. He went down the aisle, only a few seconds passing before Koko heard a terrified shriek.

Brago returned to the woman holding up Zofis like a bag of groceries and a smirk on his face.

"That only means this little _asshole_ can't escape from me anywhere."

"Please, I won't do anything anymore I promise- ow, OW! I- I swear I won't, so please let me go- ow ow ow! Koko, save me!"


End file.
